Lecturer: Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: As the Mind Enters Dharma, Thoughts Become Clear (心入法 念清明)
The Earth is amazing.
Everything on Earth is useful. Things arise when causes meet conditions. When conditions disperse, things disappear, so what is there to be attached to?
This is reminding us to have reverence for nature. Everything is a creation of causes and conditions. All objects have their use. When soil and water are combined, as long as there is a seed, whether of a big tree or of a blade of grass, the combination produces something. So, everything has its use. Aren’t all grains and vegetation created this way? So, the land provides immeasurable resources and objects to support human life.
And humans? They are also born when causes and conditions come together. Forming relationships, ordinary people continue to reproduce. If there causes and conditions were not there, how could the human population keep growing? With these conditions, afflictions and ignorance continue to arise among people. Grudges and resentments continue to be produced as causes and conditions gather.
When these conditions disperse, things disappear, so what is there to be attached to? So, we must always remind ourselves to not be attached.
Wondrous truth is hidden in formlessness. Do not cling to existence or emptiness. There is Wondrous Existence in emptiness, and True Emptiness in Wondrous Existence.
Hidden within formlessness, there is Wondrous Existence. Where is formlessness? This concept is truly profound.
Since it is without shape and without form, if we want to truly experience it, we must realize emptiness. Emptiness contains much Wondrous Existence. Think about it. Without this empty space, how could anything be created? So, emptiness contains Wondrous Existence.
People in some countries say, “You can only find this fruit in our country.” If you try to plant it somewhere else, it may not grow. This is the profound truth of emptiness. If something is moved to somewhere else, it may not meet suitable conditions, because many things cannot be controlled by humans. We cannot stop some things from growing, and we cannot cause other things to grow. This is very profound. Wondrous truths are hidden in formlessness; many principles lie within. Do not be attached to existence or emptiness. We should not dwell on either. If we are attached to existence, we continue to create unenlightened causes and conditions. So we should not be attached to existence.
If we are attached to emptiness, we see everything as non-existent and irrelevant. This is not so. There is Wondrous Existence in emptiness, and true emptiness within existence. We must not be attached to emptiness nor existence. We should understand the natural world, which is truly very profound. Instead of attached, we should harmonize nature by walking on the middle path. Do not be too attached to existence. If we are attached to existence, we will continue to be greedy and confused. If we are attached to emptiness and deny cause and effect, this is also problematic.
So, in this realm of nature, we should live accord with natural life, respect the land and cherish all beings,
The next passage from Dharma as Water states, “We profoundly contemplate the Two Truths, the principles of emptiness and impartiality with the wisdom of skillful means.”
Let’s first understand the Two Truths, Absolute Truth and Relative Truth. Absolute Truth is emptiness, Relative Truth is existence. These are the two interconnected principles. If we only cling to the view of one of these truths, we become biased. So, we must deeply contemplate; we must go one level deeper.
If we cling either emptiness or existence, we will go astray. Then, proper Dharma cannot manifest. So we see the absolute as empty and the relative as illusory. This is the thinking we should possess. What is true? The principles are true. We should not claim that nothing exists as emptiness actually contains existence.
As mentioned, empty space contains all living things on Earth. If we experience it mindfully, we find the middle way between emptiness and existence. So, the Absolute Truth is empty. If all conditions gather in this emptiness, Wondrous Existence is naturally created. There is also True Emptiness in Wondrous Existence.
As we just discussed, if the elements of the objects we see disperse, the objects become nonexistent. If elements are combined, they form everything in the world.
So, we contemplate the relative as illusory. All that we see, the endless proliferation of life from men and women coming together or from other plants and animals procreating, all of this life that is created and all the things that humans produce are all truly empty in the end. So, all illusory existence is empty.
When we contemplate Relative Truth, we see it is illusory. Relative Truth is illusory. When causes meet conditions, there is existence. When they separate, nothing exists. But we should look more deeply to gain the wisdom of impartiality. The Absolute Truth is empty; it is the principle of emptiness. The Relative Truth is illusory. When conditions combine, all matter exists. So, the Relative Truth is illusory, and the Absolute Truth is empty.
If we are attached to either truth, wisdom cannot arise. So, we should note attached to either concept. The principle is very simple; the aggregating of elements products existence; the dispersion of elements produces non-existence. In between non-existence and existence is an especially profound principle. It requires our wisdom, we must be unattached to emptiness and existence. When we bring emptiness and existence together we have the most impartial wisdom. It is wisdom of skillful means. With this, we find the truth that is within all objects in this world.
The next verse says, “We enter the flowing Dharma-water. Our thoughts are clear and we manifest the Tathagata’s Non-arising Patience.”
Because of their afflictions, humans crate the suffering of this world. Thus, Buddha spoke of the truth of suffering and analyzed for us how suffering appears. His analysis used suffering as the starting point. He realized accumulation [of karmic causes] lead to the creation of suffering. So, from this truth He derived further analysis. How do we eliminate ignorance while suffering? That requires cessation, which is achieved through the Path. So suffering, accumulation, cessation and the Path arise from True Emptiness and Wondrous Existence.
Without the truths of emptiness and existence, the truth of Wondrous Existence would not exist. So, we should “enter the flowing Dharma-water.” We must enter into it deeply, which means to contemplate profoundly. If we can contemplate profoundly, then we can enter the Dharma-water.
I have previously mentioned the analogy of a big log [floating in a river]. In the midst of the currents, the log must remain in the middle. If it gets too close to either side, it cannot flow with the current out to the ocean. If the log floats sideways, it will get stuck. It cannot float smoothly near the banks.
So, we should first understand the principle of the two truths. The two seem to be on opposing sides. We should flow between the two. In the middle, we can understand how things come into existence and how things can disperse into non-existence. With this understanding, we can enter the Dharma-water.
When it flows into our hearts, we understand all the principles. This is “entering the flowing Dharma-water.” When things flow smoothly, “our every thought becomes clearer.” If the principles are clear in our minds, why would be attached in our relationships?
With attachment, we are entangled by love, hate, passion, conflict. This is also a kind of attachment to existence.
If existence really exists, why do people continue to change? From birth, youth, adolescence, to old age, everything changes. All objects continue to decay and be reborn. Humans also continue the cycle of birth, aging, illness and death. So why be attached?
As we go through life and relationships, why should we be attached and entangled? Why do we need to be like this? We should be clear on these principles so that there is nothing to covet. As soon as we have no attachment to greed, our minds “enter the Dharma-water” and our thoughts develop into wisdom. Whether it is the wisdom of skillful means or the wisdom of impartiality, the principles will gradually manifest.
“We manifest the Tathagata’s Non-arising Patience.” If we enter the Dharma, our wisdom will develop and we will manifest Non-arising Patience.
Is the world hard to endure? Yes, there is much suffering. Where is the suffering? In our attachment. If we are free from all attachment, we can escape the bonds of affliction. Our afflictions, emotions and such, bind us like ropes. When they suddenly loosen, we are free and at ease. This is “the Tathagata’s Non-arising Patience.”
Because we have birth and death, gain and loss, benefits and harm, etc., we experience suffering. With gain and loss, benefit and harm, we cannot bear the suffering. So once these thoughts of gain and loss are completely eliminated, we gain the Tathagata’s Non-arising Patience.
What is patience? Actually, there is patience and Non-arising Patience. Patience is enduring suffering in relationships, whether tangible or intangible. When we strive for something and fail to obtain it, we suffer. Or, if someone says something that annoys us, or creates a conflict, or cuts us deeply, like a knife, we cannot bear it. The character for patience is a knife on a heart. If we are bleeding from a knife in the heart, we will suffer greatly.
We do not have the patience to bear it. What happens if we cannot bear it? It turns into suffering. And in the midst of suffering? Afflictions.
So, to practice, we should use our environment and experiences to train our bodies and minds. We train our body and mind through interacting with the people in our environment.
If we can be patient with all people and all situations, then we endure effortlessly. We will have a natural and effortless life. This is patience. It also brings a sense of ease.
As for Non-arising Patience, it involves enduring even the changes of nature, the weather, climate, etc.
In short, patience is the mind abiding in the principles and not wavering. So, patience and Non-arising Patience are essential for our spiritual practice. We must be able to endure without effort. “We manifest the Tathagata’s Non-arising Patience.” If we reach such a state, we are truly liberated and at ease. This is the state of tranquility and purity.
Everyone, as Buddhist practitioners, if we are mindful in every second, in everything we encounter, we will penetrate deeply into the truth. All we need is to be mindful. So, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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